Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Feb 27: Following the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report highlighting alleged financial mismanagement by the former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi, Punjab’s Leader of the Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa, has called for a similar audit in Punjab.

Bajwa pointed to the CAG’s findings that the Delhi government suffered a ?2,002 crore loss due to irregularities in the 2021-22 excise policy. He also highlighted a 1,200% increase in AAP’s advertising expenditures between 2018 and 2022. Given that Punjab adopted Delhi’s excise policy after AAP took power, Bajwa urged the CAG to investigate whether similar financial discrepancies exist in Punjab.

He further accused the Punjab government of excessive spending on self-promotion, including running advertisements outside the state, which he called a misuse of public funds.

On the issue of drug control, Bajwa criticized the AAP government for failing to fulfill its pre-election promise of eliminating Punjab’s drug problem within three months. He mocked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s pledge to make Punjab drug-free by Independence Day 2024, calling it another unfulfilled commitment.

Bajwa also took a dig at Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who is set to lead the newly formed five-member cabinet committee on drug control, stating that his priority should be stabilizing Punjab’s struggling economy before taking on additional responsibilities.